NEWS UPDATE - online No 11 SUMMER 2002
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12 year old Anitha is one of the disabled
children who has recently been admitted to
the Ongole Centre.
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NEWS
FROM THE KANIGIRI CENTRE
- by Alison Davis, Chair of Enable
In January I returned to India with Colin Harte, Enable’s
General Secretary, to revisit the two centres we are supporting at
Kanigiri and Ongole, in Andhra Pradesh state. Exactly one year before we
had attended the opening of the Ongole Centre for girls – the paint
being barely dry as last minute work was completed for the inauguration
– and we looked forward to seeing all the “old” girls as well as
the many “new” girls we have been able to admit. I wondered how
things were getting on one year after the opening.
As always, the children gave a tumultuous welcome when we arrived. In
order to celebrate the anniversary of the Ongole Centre and to welcome
us, all the boys from the Kanigiri Centre had also come to Ongole to
greet us. We were met by over 120 children. It was lovely to see the
children we already knew from previous visits. The “new” children,
like Anitha pictured above, were initially shy – but it didn’t take
long before we got to know each other.
Meeting “old” and “new” children
It gives me much joy to look back over the past seven years since Enable
was formed, and to be able to reflect on how so many of the children
that I have seen grow up over the years have been getting on. Children
who had been rejected by their families and society are developing into
confident, educated adolescents and young adults. Many children who had
seemed destined to a lifetime of crawling in the dust have had surgery
and physiotherapy and are now up on their feet. This benefits not only
their prospects in life but also their self-esteem. Apart from seeing
those who are still at the centres I was pleased that twelve of our
former students who are now at college or working came to visit us and
to let me know how they are getting on. I am proud of them for all their
achievements.
In this News Update, however, I thought that instead of dwelling on
the successes of those whose progress I have been following for some
years, I would introduce our supporters to some of the children whom I
met for the first time on this visit to India. Thanks to the ongoing
generosity of our supporters we are able to continue our existing
projects and to develop our work so that more children can be helped.
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12 year old Anitha
Meeting 12 year old Anitha, whose photo is above, was sufficient
evidence (should I have needed any) of the importance of Enable’s
work. Like all of our children she comes from an extremely poor family.
Anitha is disabled as a result of polio and crawls, supporting her feet
on her hands so that she can move. Her hands function as if they were
also her feet and when you touch them you can tell just how strong and
rough they are as a result of the way they have been used.
Anitha joined the Ongole centre last year and this was the first time
I had met her. Before joining the centre she had spent little time
mixing with others and I was told she was initially very anxious. This
was markedly different from the girl I now met who was outgoing and
cheerful. In a programme that the children put on to celebrate our visit
Anitha took part in the dancing – sitting down, of course. Her talent
for dancing with such grace and natural rhythm – giving both herself
and the audience much joy – had not been known before she joined the
centre.
Anitha (left) with some of her new friends at the Centre
Staying at the Ongole Centre is doing more than boost Anitha’s
self-esteem. She is now going to school. Though she is in a class with
girls younger than her, she is eager to learn and is making very good
progress. And this summer Anitha is to have the first of a series of
operations, to try to ensure that she won’t always have to crawl in
the dust.
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Lakshmi and her pupils
Fortunately, we have caring and hard-working staff at both the
Kanigiri and Ongole Centres. Amongst them is a new member, Lakshmi, a 22
year old who, because she has brittle bones, is more disabled than many
of the children we are caring for. Like the most severely disabled
children she can move only by crawling slowly.
Lakshmi is trained in various skills of craftmaking and teaches them
to the girls at the Ongole centre. It is helpful for all the girls to
know these skills and it was a joy to see them eagerly learning from
Lakshmi. They happily showed me what they had made. Lakshmi’s gentle
and caring manner 
particularly attracts many of the shyer new girls,
like Nagalakshmi and Anaradha, pictured below. For those girls who
attend the centres after years of neglect and other difficulties in
their villages, the presence of Lakshmi and the other caring members of
staff is a great help.
Lakshmi (centre) teaching craft skills to Nagalakshmi (left) and
Anaradha
The centres at Kanigiri and Ongole are transforming the children’s
lives. While in India I was conscious of the debt of gratitude owed to Enable’s
supporters. All the children call me “Mummy Alison” and I sincerely
thank you for all your love, concern and support for “my” children.
Fr Arulraj’s letter (below) mentions ways to help even more disabled
children, and I hope we can achieve this with your generous support.
With sincere thanks and best wishes,
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A LETTER FROM FR GALI ARULRAJ
Fr Gali Arulraj has been caring for disabled children
since the 1980s. He is the founder of Enable’s work in India, and
director of the centres at Kanigiri and Ongole.
Fr Arulraj with Yerraiah who was admitted to the Kanigiri Centre in
January 2002 when Alison Davis (right) visited the centres.
Dear Friends of the disabled children at Kanigiri and Ongole,
Loving greetings from Fr Gali Arulraj, writing from the Kanigiri
Centre in India.
When Alison Davis and Colin Harte visited us earlier this year I
asked if they would leave space in the newsletter for me to write and
express my sincere thanks to you for all that you are doing to help our
disabled children. I wanted you to know how much difference you are
making to the lives of the children. Also, I discussed with Alison and
Colin ways to help more children and I wanted to explain what plans we
have in mind.
Now we are supporting 134 children at our two centres. We are also
supporting 12 more children who are at college or university. I hope we
will have enough funds during the next few months to enable us to have
both centres full with children (a total of 175) and also continue to
help the college students.
“Outreach programme”
For me, one of the hardest things is to face parents who want us to
admit their disabled child when we have not the funds (or the room) to
do so. This troubles me greatly. The disabled children – and their
families – have such big problems that it grieves me not to be able to
help a needy child. For this reason we have set up an “outreach
programme” so that any disabled child who needs help will receive at
least some support – even if we cannot admit them to one of the
centres.
Through the outreach programme we will make sure we are in touch with
disabled children in their villages. These children do not go to school,
so we will arrange to bring teachers or tutors to their villages to give
them at least some basic education and skills.
We will also help to provide some medical care. We have already
identified about 1,000 disabled children in our region who lack all
support. We know too that there are many more. The “outreach programme”
will be able to give only a little help, but it will at least be a
start. And we hope  that maybe one day we can help some of these children
at the Kanigiri or Ongole centres or other small centres if we get the
funds to build them.
Helping blind children
I was recently very moved by the visit of a blind man, called
Thirupal. He came to me not on his own account but because he wanted us
to help his small son Nagaraju, (Dad & son on right) who is also blind. In addition to
Nagaraju there are many blind children who need help. So, after
discussing with Alison and Colin, we have decided we must do something.
We shall arrange temporary accommodation for about 30 blind children in
he coming months. And God willing we will get the funds to develop our
work in this area in the future.
I sincerely thank you for your love and concern for all the children.
Fr Gali Arulraj
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CONTINUING OUR WORK
Unlike many charities we have always avoided heavy-handed requests
for funds. Our News Update is produced twice a year, and we hope that by
providing details of Enable’s existing and new projects our supporters
will be aware of our ongoing need for funds and support us if they can.
Some of our supporters sponsor children at the Kanigiri and Ongole
Centres. It would help too to have sponsors for the blind children we
are soon to be supporting, like Nagaraju, mentioned above in Fr Arulraj’s
letter. It costs £13.50 to provide ordinary care (not including
operation costs) for one child for a month, but there is no set amount
for sponsorship. Sponsors are free to contribute as little or as much as
they can.
To fund the project for blind children, and to continue our work at
the Kanigiri and Ongole Centres, we rely on your generous support. Thank
you so much
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The News Update is produced twice a year, in June and December. If
you would like to be notified by e-mail when the next Update is on-line
please let us know, by sending a short note to mail@enable-india.org.uk.
To receive a paper version (black and white only) send an e-mail or
contact:
Colin Harte (General Secretary )
Enable (Working in India)
35 Stileham Bank
Milborne St Andrew
Blandford Forum
Dorset DT11 0LE
Tel/Fax: (01258) 837546
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